By Rhetta Akamatsu, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

Published 10:00 pm, Sunday, April 20, 2014

Back in 2005, James Caskey wrote a definitive book about Savannah's haunted places, Haunted Savannah: The Offical Guidebook to Savannah Haunted History Tour.

Now he has revised and expanded that book for Haunted Savannah: America's Most Spectral City.

Caskey is the owner of Cobblestone Tours and for the past 13 years has conducted ghost tours in Savannah. He is also a diligent researcher and history buff. It is his desire to find out the truth behind the folklore the tour guides and other sources spout about Savannah's historic haunted locations that sets this book apart, as well as his accomplished storytelling.

Caskey's love of history led him to spend a lot of time perusing historical documents and tax records in order to separate the truth from the stories that developed over the years to explain the strange activities in many of Savannah's most interesting locations. His own experience and the many stories he has been told have convinced Caskey that the activity and the ghosts of Savannah are real, but they may not be who and what we think they are.

Because often the ghost stories turn out to be wrong, but the activity in their places is real, Caskey also has developed an interesting theory as to why Savannah is arguably America's most haunted city. Are Savannah's citizens living and working closer to the dead then most of them know? You'll need to read the book to find out.

With over 50 photos and stories about more than 40 Savannah locations, this detailed book is perfect reading before visiting this enchanting city. Most of the stories are dark, as Southern ghost stories so often are, filled with tales of slavery, duels, war,pirates, fires and loss. You will learn about such famous landmarks as the Pirate's House, Sorrel-Weed House, Moon River Brewery, Colonial Cemetery, and Fort Pulaski among others. The stories will chill, thrill and fascinate. When you finish the book, you will know where you might want to go to share a drink with a denizen of Savannah's past at the bar or where to spend the night if you want to have your own story to share with Caskey.

The book is recommended for anyone who loves Savannah or is about to discover the city for the first time, for all lovers of the paranormal and for history buffs as well.